The urban syndemic of COVID-19: insights, reflections and implications

Abstract

This editorial introduces the origin, purpose and scope of a Special Issue on COVID-19. It brings together 43 contributions from across the globe that examine the way in which COVID-19 has challenged the way we think about urban design, spatial planning and city governance. The editorial draws out a number of key messages from this body of work, highlighting how the impact of COVID-19 has been most devastating when combined with the existing vulnerabilities and chronic ill-health experienced in pre-pandemic cities. Following The Lancet, we, therefore, characterise this as a syndemic rather than pandemic, due to the way it interacts with existing urban NCDs. This provides further resolve to address long-standing urban health inequalities and challenges, while seeking more holistic ways of addressing these, for example through the Sustainable Development Goals. The editorial explains the role of our partners in the Special Issue (ISUH, Design Council and BOVA Network), draws out some of the themes from the collected papers, and finally highlights an agenda for future contributions to Cities & Health that will allow us to better understand and respond to the aftermath of the COVID-19 syndemic.

Planning for social distancing: How the legacy of historical epidemics shaped COVID-19's spread in Madrid

“…However, much subsequent research, including a special issue of Urban Studies ( Duminy, 2021 ; Kawlra and Sakamoto, 2021 ; McFarlane, 2021 ; Preece et al, 2021 ), has shown that inequality was a major factor in spreading the pandemic. Thus, the COVID-19 epidemic has been labelled a ‘syndemic’, due to the disease’s devastating impact on pre-existing health and socio-economic vulnerabilities in urban spaces ( Ellis et al, 2021 ).…”

Supporting a Healthy Planet, Healthy People and Health Equity through Urban and Territorial Planning

“…The next steps for urban and territorial planning for health must be anchored in a shared vision for a healthier future and the urgency of action, considering the risks to urban health uncovered by the COVID-19 crisis (Ellis et al, 2021 ). WHO’s ‘Manifesto for a healthy and green COVID-19 recovery’ (WHO, 2020a ) places urban and territorial planning at the core of the action needed to revert the ‘escalating damage to the ecological systems that sustain all human health and livelihoods’, including prescriptions directly related to urban and territorial planning.…”

Asian city prospects for planning and urban health

“…To deepen our understanding of COVID-19 in terms of urban governance, form and design, during the early sages of the pandemic in 2020 the journal solicited an international set of papers. These have been curated into a set of 51 think pieces as 'The COVID-19 Lockdown Papers' and published in a special issue 'Cities, health and COVID-19: Initial reflections and future challenges' (Ellis et al 2021).…”